(CNN) - Joe Miller's the upset winner of the Republican Senate primary in Alaska, but the Tea Party Express and Sarah Palin are also victorious.

The Tea Party Express, a leading Tea Party organization, endorsed Miller earlier this year and poured nearly $600,000 to help the little known candidate defeat Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a brand name in Alaska. The group says more than two-thirds of the money was spent in the final two weeks of the campaign leading up to the August 24 primary. That included producing and airing TV and radio ads in the state in behalf of Miller in the closing weeks.

Tea Party Express is one of the most recognized national Tea Party organizations thanks to its three high-profile bus caravans and rallies. The group, based in Sacramento, California, has also become a major player in Republican party politics, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads for Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown in Massachusetts, who in January upset Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election to fill the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat.

London, England (CNN) - Former U.S. President George W. Bush was a "true idealist" who displayed "genuine integrity and political courage," former British prime minister Tony Blair reveals in his memoirs.

Detailing the close professional and personal relationship which developed between the two leaders in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S. and during the build-up to the Iraq war in 2003, Blair writes that Bush was "very smart" while having "immense simplicity in how he saw the world."

"Right or wrong, it led to decisive leadership... he sincerely believed in spreading freedom and democracy," he writes in "A Journey;" which hit book stores in the UK on Wednesday.

(CNN) - It's the latest sign congressional Democrats could be in for a rough round of midterms.

A new Gallup/USA Today survey out Wednesday finds Americans think Republicans in Congress will do a better job than Democrats in handling seven out of nine key issues.

The biggest divide is on the issue of terrorism, where Republicans get the edge by a wide 55-31 percent margin. Republicans also win big on immigration (50-35 percent), federal spending (50-35 percent), and even the economy (49-38 percent) - despite Democratic efforts to paint the recession's onset as the fault of congressional Republicans and former President George W. Bush.

(CNN) - Mitt Romney headlines the Republican Party of New Hampshire's convention later this month, the fourth time over the past two months that the past and possible future GOP presidential hopeful is helping out party officials in the crucial early primary state.

The former Massachusetts governor will serve as keynote speaker at the state party convention, being held September 25 in Concord. Romney's role was first reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader and confirmed by state party officials.

Romney was the main attraction at an August 5 fundraiser in New Hampshire to benefit the House Republican Victory PAC, which supports GOP candidates in the state. One week later he was listed as the "special guest" at an event in the Granite State for the Republican State Committee. Last week he attended a fundraiser in Boston for the Republican Party of New Hampshire.

"We know that we still have outstanding votes to count in this primary, but based on where we are right now, I don't see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor," Murkowski told reporters in Anchorage. "I am now conceding the race for the Republican nomination."

She said she informed Miller of her decision, but didn't endorse him at her news conference and did not take questions from reporters.

President Obama on Wednesday turns his attention to the extremely difficult task of trying to broker Mideast peace (Getty Images)

(CNN) - Fresh off a major speech on Iraq, President Obama on Wednesday turns his attention to the extremely difficult task of trying to broker Mideast peace, with his special envoy declaring there is a "window of opportunity" for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to achieve an historic deal within one year.

Former Sen. George Mitchell, Obama's special envoy for Middle East Peace, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are paying close attention to polls in the Mideast which show fear there will be many more years of intense conflict if negotiations over a two-state solution collapse.

"Now, I believe that it is an awareness of these and other realities by the two leaders and their leadership that there is a window of opportunity, a moment in time within which there remains the possibility of achieving the two-state solution, which is so essential to comprehensive peace in the region, that difficult as it may be for both leaders, and we recognize that difficulty for both of them, the alternatives for them and the members of their societies pose far greater difficulties and far greater problems in the future," said Mitchell.

The CNN 100 takes a look at the top 100 House races, from now until Election Day.

Editor's Note: In the final 100 days before Election Day, CNN has been profiling one race at random each day from among the nation's top 100 House races, which we've dubbed "The CNN 100." Read the full list here . Today's featured district is:

(CNN) - Rep. Betty Sutton was once thought a shoo-in for reelection in Ohio's blue collar 13th District, but when Republican Tom Ganley said earlier this year that he would drop his Senate bid and instead run against Sutton, all bets were off for the incumbent.

That's because Ganley, a wealthy car dealership owner, brought a sizable campaign warchest to the race when he dropped into the 13th District race. Coupled with small business credentials, Ganley presents a sizable threat to Sutton.

CNN: Obama declares 'combat mission in Iraq has ended'
President Obama declared that "the American combat mission in Iraq has ended" in his primetime address Tuesday. "Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," he said. The president addressed the economic crisis in America by talking about how restoring prosperity at home is critical to maintaining the nation's strength abroad. Obama said getting the economy back on track is his "central responsibility as president."